High to get near 80

Tomorrow: Mostly sunny. High: 84

» For a detailed forecast, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution weather page.

No, your mind isn’t playing tricks on you, Atlanta.

This year has been hot. Really hot, according to Channel 2 Action News and the National Weather Service.

“It was the warmest April on record ... at 67.8 degrees,” Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan said.

Atlanta’s previous record, set in 1981, was 67.7 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

Not only was April the hottest on record, 2017 as a whole got off to a very warm start. Atlanta, Athens, Columbus and Macon all “experienced their warmest January 1-April 30 period on record,” the National Weather Service said.

Credit: National Weather Service

Credit: National Weather Service

The warm weather and sunny skies are expected to stick around Tuesday and Wednesday.

Currently, the temperature is 73 degrees in Atlanta. The expected high is 79 degrees. The average high for this time of year is 77, Channel 2 meteorologist Brad Nitz said.

However, higher temperatures are expected Wednesday, meteorologists said. According to the latest forecast, the high in Atlanta could hit 84 degrees.

“Although we’re enjoying sunshine now and warm weather,” Nitz said, “I’m tracking a major system that’s going to bring showers, thunderstorms and then much cooler weather that follows.”

There is an 80 percent chance of rain Thursday and a 30 percent chance Friday, Channel 2 reported. Both days, highs are expected to drop to 70 degrees.

Wet weather on Monday brought pollen levels down on Tuesday.

The pollen count was 118 particles of pollen per cubic meter of air, down from Monday’s count of 142, according to Atlanta Allergy and Asthma.